The Observer, August 29, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 1
Team aims for podium in finish despite loss of star
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A year ago, when the women's cross country team took sixth at the NCAA Div. III Championship, Esther Erb led the way to the best national finish for a team in CWRU history. She won six consecutive races in the run-up to the national meet, including a tough Great Lakes Regional, where she finished with a time of 21:13.15, just one second off the course record. At the national championship, she finished 27th overall.
This spring, Erb, now graduated, won a national title in the 10,000-meter run.
The big question facing the team this year is how they will fare without the best distance runner in school history.
"We're just as strong without Esther," said Coach Kathy Lanese. "[The team] has high goals. I'm not going to state them until we take care of some business. They're not going to let the loss of a valued teammate set them back."
This year, instead of being carried by star power, the Spartans look to be a balanced team that runs in a tight pack, without a clear front-runner. Even without Erb, the women retain solid depth, returning five of their six national meet members. It takes more than one person for a team to do well on the national stage. Kristen Bowhers and Britta Kumley, now seniors and co-captains placed 41st and 114th, respectively, at nationals. Justine Jeroski, now a sophomore, finished 84th.
"We definitely could have our best season yet if everyone stays healthy," said Kumley. "I think we can be on the podium this year." Currently, the women are ranked third in the Great Lakes Region.
According to Kumley, the reason the women can be so successful is that they are moving toward the cross country ideal of a pack out in front, something they've struggled with in the past. Lanese said that pack running has been a focus in practice.
The team's top five runners determine their school's rank at a meet. Case's top four are expected to be Bowhers, Kumley, Jeroski, and sophomore Andrea Fischione. Of those, Bowhers, who earned first team All-UAA honors in 2007 and 2006, has seen the best results in her time at Case. And with another year of cross country under their belts, each is expected to improve in 2008.
Who fits into the fifth spot is an open question. Lanese expects senior Athena Chen, junior Colleen Heffernan, or freshman Natalia Cabrera to fill that role. How close that fifth runner is to the rest of the pack could determine how close the Spartans come to matching their successful 2007 campaign.
Their competition in the University Athletic Association (UAA) will come from WashU, who won the conference championship in 2007, but lost talented seniors to graduation, and Emory, who has added some strong underclassmen. The first real test for the women will be the All-Ohio Championships on Oct. 10, which count towards the formula for a national qualification.
Cross country's only home event is the Sudeck Classic this Saturday at the Case-owned University Farm in Hunting Valley, a 389-acre property 10 miles east of campus. The Sudeck Classic starts at 11 a.m.
